This invention relates to techniques for heating prefrozen or refrigerated prepared meals by fast, microwave techniques. The invention is useful particularly when feeding large numbers of people as in institutional caferterias, hospitals, etc. The invention also is suited for use particularly when feeding a limited number of people with special foods such as persons having particular dietary requirements as might be found in a nursing home. Among the difficulties in preparing complete meals by microwave heating has been that because each of the foods require a different degree radiation exposure, it is difficult to control the exposure particularly when an entire meal composed of a plurality of different foods is to be heated simultaneously in the same oven.
One approach to this problem is suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 3,547,661 which describes an enclosure for the complete meal. That enclosure is opaque to the radiation except for radiation-transparent windows formed in the box in alignment with each food to expose the various foods to different degrees of radiation, depending on the size and shape of the windows. This technique has proved effective to heat the individual foods in an entire meal simultaneously to their properly cooked, serving temperature. However, because the specific arrangement there described is completely prepackaged with the food inside and is only usable once it may not be used with maximum economy when only a limited number of meals are to be served or where it is desirable to vary widely the different types of foods in the meals. For example, such variation might be desired where cafeteria menus change from day to day or, where special dietary requirements must be observed, such as in nursing homes, hospitals or the like. In the later instance it is often necessary to provide specially prepared combinations of foods for particular persons. This invention relates to an arrangement for enabling such variation of foods in a number of dinners while heating or cooking with microwave energy in an efficient and economical manner.